Aquarium for a Dream
Aquarium for a Dream is the sixth episode of Total DramaRama. Synopsis Class pet, Richard Swimmins is fatally overfed by Izzy and Chef hides his death from the kids, sans the more observant Gwen. Plot The episode opens with Chef introducing the kids to the newest member of the class, a goldfish named Richard Swimmins. In order to teach the kids responsibility, Chef tasks them with taking turns to feed Richard, with Izzy being the first to volunteer. After Chef leaves the room, Izzy does not stop pouring fish food into the bowl until the bottle is completely empty. Not realizing she has already fed it too much, Izzy continues with another bottle, until Richard has suffocated to death. Not realizing Richard is dead, Izzy calls Chef for help. Chef immediately takes the fish bowl out of the room and returns with Richard still alive, with only Gwen suspicious of the fish's quick recovery. Chef attempts to tell the kids the proper way to feed Richard, but their innocent looks and puppy dog eyes instead had him telling them not to feed Richard at all. Some time later, Richard's bowl becomes dirty and Harold volunteers to clean it. Harold does so by putting soap into the bowl and scrubbing it, with Richard still in it. While Chef is busy removing gum from a book, he notices bubbles coming out from the classroom and suspects the worst. Just as he feared, Richard is dead again and the kids are still oblivious to what happened. Chef again tries to teach them the correct lesson, but their innocence is too much for him to handle, so he quickly leaves the room with the fish bowl before returning with Richard alive and well again. Just as before, he tells the kids not to wash Richard's bowl ever again. Once again, only Gwen suspects that something "fishy is going on" only to become disappointed with herself when she realizes she made a pun. On a rainy day at the daycare, Beth returns to the classroom soaking wet and shivering. Thinking Richard is feeling cold as well, Beth decides to warm it by putting the fishbowl on a heater. Chef then enters the classroom to find a group of cats meowing outside the window and the smell of seafood. Realizing what happened again, Chef takes Richard out of the room again, claiming that Richard is late for its doctor appointment. As before, Chef returns to the class with Richard still alive, but refrains from telling the kids the truth over what really happened and doesn't want to hurt them for their irresponsibility. The cycle continues for the next few days, with the kids continuously killing Richard through their naivety, with Chef returning with it still alive and the kids none the wiser. Only Gwen realizes what has happened, but doesn't know how Chef is able to resurrect Richard. She thinks that he might have used black magic, necromancy, or even performed a Frankenstein-like scenario. After thinking how ridiculous the last one sounds, Gwen concludes that all the fishes are dead and Chef replaced them with a new fish. Gwen confronts Chef at the playground where he is burying the latest Richard and persuades him to tell the others kids the truth. Chef is reluctant as he doesn't want to hurt their feelings so Gwen decides to do it herself. However, Chef stops her before she returns to class. Just then, the kids call Chef about Richard again, this time having been killed as a result of playing Double Dutch. Despite Gwen's insistence, Chef is still reluctant to tell the kids the truth. It isn't until Duncan realizes that Richard doesn't have the tattoo that he drew with permanent ink that the kids suspect Chef is hiding something from them. Once again Chef leaves the room, but before he can return with a new fish, the kids enter his office and find out the truth. Finally realizing what happened, the kids get angry at Chef for his irresponsibility and keeping the truth from them, as it could prevent them from making the same mistake over and over again. Chef realizes his mistake and apologizes to the kids before promising to show them where he buried the other Richards, until Gwen enters his office with bad news. Stray cats have dug up the other Richards and are having a feast. The sight of this 'massacre' frightens the kids and Gwen believes that they will not be eating fish for a long time. Some time later, Chef introduces the kids to a new class pet, a rock named Rocky. As it is a rock rather than a living creature, the kids are free to play with it however they like without the risk of killing it. The kids welcome their new 'pet' by throwing it up, but Rocky accidentally hits the fan and gets launched into Chef's room where it ricochets around before smashing into the aquarium and the window. This result in a pile of dead fish lying in Chef's office, attracting even more stray cats, much to Chef's horror. In the final confessional of the episode, Gwen admits that she saw this scenario coming all the way as more cats approach the daycare. Characters Major Roles *Chef Hatchet *Gwen *Izzy *Owen Burnham *Harold McGrady *Duncan *Beth *Richard Swimmins Minor Roles *Puppets *Rocky *Jude Lizowski (Non-Speaking) Trivia *The title is a pun on "Requiem for a Dream". *This episode marks the debut of Richard Swimmins. **Richard Swimmins' name is a pun on "Richard Simmons". *The scene where Gwen imagines Chef resurrecting Richard is a reference to the movie version of Mary Shelly's Frankenstein, with Chef even emulating the infamous "ITS ALIVE! ITS ALIVE!" quote. *The headless doll Gwen carries with her throughout the episode is very similar to Marie Antionette, the favorite doll of Wednesday Addams from The Addams Family. Category:Episodes Category:Total DramaRama Episodes Category:Chef Episodes Category:Gwen Episodes